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Wales vs Belgium: World Cup qualifier preview, team news, TV channel, kick-off time

  /  autty

Team news ahead of the World Cup qualifier between Wales vs Belgium on Tuesday; kick-off 7.45pm.

Team news

Gareth Bale will not start Wales' decisive World Cup qualifier against Belgium on Tuesday.

Bale won his 100th cap against Belarus on Saturday after two months out with a hamstring injury, but came off after 45 minutes of the 5-1 victory. The Wales captain trained on his own away from the main group on Monday.

Wales manager Robert Page said: "He was never going to start against Belgium. We knew that coming into camp. The plan was always for him to get a half in the first game and then come on and maybe have an impact in the second game."

Wales are without the banned Ethan Amapdu but welcome back Kieffer Moore, who missed the Belarus win through suspension. Cardiff striker Moore has scored seven goals since making his debut in September 2019, more than any other Wales player in that time.

Wales are guaranteed a World Cup play-off spot in March through their Nations League results. But Page's side need at least a point against the world's top-ranked team in Cardiff to potentially secure home semi-final advantage.

Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski has been called into the Belgium national team squad. He will be looking to feature for his country for the first time on Tuesday, with Roberto Martinez's side having already qualified for Qatar.

Belgium will be without Real Madrid pair Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois in Cardiff, as well as Jason Denayer and Simon Mignolet.

Jeremy Doku, Michy Batshuayi, Romelu Lukaku, Toby Alderweireld, Thomas Vermaelen and Youri Tielemans had previously been ruled out.

World Cup playoffs: All you need to know

The winners of each group automatically qualify for the World Cup finals, which run from November 21 to December 18 2022, and three more teams will seal their place at the end of the playoffs in March.

The play-offs take place from March 24 to 29, with 10 group runners-up joined by the two best group winners from the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League overall ranking that have neither qualified directly as group winners nor entered the playoffs already as group runners up.

These 12 teams will be drawn into three play-off paths for one-off semi-finals and a final, with the three path winners then qualifying for the tournament in Qatar. The draw will be seeded based upon qualifying-round points - with the two UEFA Nations League teams being unseeded.

The order of preference for the two teams to enter the play-offs (if required) via the Nations League, of teams who are still able to use this route, is France, Wales, Austria and Czech Republic, meaning Robert Page's side are already guaranteed a play-off berth via their Nations League rankings.

As Austria, and either Wales or Czech Republic, are guaranteed to finish outside the top two in their group, no other country is in contention for one of the two additional places.

How to follow

Watch Wales vs Belgium on Sky Sports Football and Main Event from 7pm on Tuesday; kick-off 7.45pm; follow our live blog on Sky Sports website and app; free match highlights will be published shortly after full time.

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